The Flying Lady Or, No Need For Words
by ErekLich
Summary: What if Tenchi kept being able to see Ryoko at the cave? What would that change? TxR, OVA continuity.


Disclaimer: I do not own Tenchi, nor am I making any money off of this.

It was a fine summer's day when I met my wife. Mind you, I didn't know at the time that she would be my wife, and neither did she. Heck, I was so young that I was barely aware that Mom was Dad's wife!

Anyway, my family had gone up to visit Grandfather's shrine for the summer, like we always did. And on that particular day, as my Mom and I walked through the woods near the shrine's cave, I saw her. off to my left, transparent and floating just above the ground. She was watching us, curiously. I was happy to meet someone new, so I called out and waved to her. Looking back on it, she was quite surprised that I could see her. My attempts to tell my mother we should go say hi to "the flying lady" didn't seem to work, she thought I was just playing a game with her.

As the summer went on, I was barely old enough to be let alone outside from time to time, and the area around the cave became my favorite spot to hang out. The flying lady was great! She'd play tag, or hide and seek, and she never got tired or wanted to stop unless I did. It didn't matter to me that she couldn't talk, or that I couldn't touch her. She was my friend and playmate, and I was happy.

TRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTR

Then came the day we'd have to leave. I was sitting outside the cave, waiting for the flying lady to show up, sniffling. As was her habit, she appeared behind me and suddenly jumped in front of me, to scare me. But her smile instantly vanished when she saw me. I looked up and started to talk to her.

"Hey flying lady." She waved back. "Mom says we have to leave tomorrow, but I don't wanna go!" She put her hand 'on' my shoulder and looked at me sadly. "I'm gonna miss you so much!" As I fought to hold back tears, she leaned forward and gave me a 'hug'. "Its gonna be real lonely without you, flying lady. I wish I could just stay here with you forever." She smiled at me, as if to say that she'd like that too. "But don't worry!" I said, trying to sound as brave as I could. "We always come here for the summer, and during the winter, so I'll be back, okay? You'll still be here, right?" A sad look crossed her features for an instant, but then she smiled again and nodded enthusiastically. The smile returned to my face as I leapt up from the ground and swiped my hand through her leg. "Tag!" Laughing silently, she gave chase.

TRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTR

When I came back that winter, I had started school. The first thing I did when we arrived was to go find the flying lady. Much to my delight, she was waiting for me at the cave! The flying lady was lying on one of the rocks, staring off at the clouds. "Hiiiii!!" She looked up, and smiled radiantly at me. I grinned at her for a moment. Then in one swift motion, I took the snowball from behind my back and threw it through her. I still remember the look on her face, to this day. Laughing, I ran off so she could chase me.

Much later, after I had exhausted my initial supply of enthusiasm, I lay in the snow contentedly. My flying lady (for even then, in a childish sort of way, I had begun to think of her as 'mine') hovered over me, smiling down at me. "Heehee... recess was never this fun!" Of course, this caused a confused look to grace her face. Kami, how I love that look. "You don't know about recess?" She shook her head no. "Well, it's like when you're at school and they give you a break to go outside and play for a bit!" She seemed to grow even more confused. "What, you don't even know about school?!" This prompted a very long explanation.

TRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTR

The next summer proceeded in much the same way, but the next winter was different...

"Hey flying lady." I half-heartedly waved at her.

She waved back, and looked at me questioningly. I was in a bad mood that day, you see, because my mother wouldn't play with me. She was sick. When I explained this, the flying lady tried to console and cheer me the best she knew how - play. It helped, some, but we could both tell my heart wasn't in it. Finally, I collapsed on the ground, panting in frustration. "It's so stupid! Why does she have to stay in bed all day, huh? Rrrgh!"

As I tried to hold back tears, the flying lady reached out to 'caress' my face, saddened for my sake. "I like you better! At least you're always there!" This angry declaration caused a look of concern, but the flying lady did, indeed, stay by my side that day. And the next, and the next. Even on the day my mother died, I ran not to my father or grandfather, but to her cave, where I cried out every tear I had.

TRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTR

Things proceeded much the same way for most of my life. I spent as much time as possible at the shrine, to the point where my dad half-joked about moving our house out there for the convenience. My flying lady was my playmate, confidant, and best friend. I made friends at school, too, of course, but none of them really compared. Heh. I'd hate to think how socially awkward I might have turned out if I hadn't had her to vent my feelings and frustrations to.

I started learning swordplay with my Grandfather, which gave me one more reason (or was it excuse) to visit the Shrine as often as I did. I didn't think I was any good, though after some initial shock (in hindsight, probably at the fact that I was learning Jurain style) Ryoko seemed to think I had potential.

TRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTR

One momentous day, as I was signing up for my first high school classes, I saw something that would change the course of my life for the better. I, like all other high school students, was required to take a foreign language credit to graduate. I hadn't really given it much thought, thinking that I'd probably learn to speak English badly just like everyone else. But there it was, on the bottom of the list. _New course, American Sign Language_. Some quick research yielded happy results; since the language was designed for the deaf to use, it relied entirely on gestures! You didn't need to use your mouth at all! Giddy with anticipation, I eagerly signed up.

My father was curious, of course. "Why ASL, Tenchi?" I just smiled and shrugged. Dad hadn't ever believed in the flying lady, nor could he see her, and I had learned that people thought I was crazy if I tried to talk about her. So I didn't. "Well, I suppose it should work. I wonder what the class size will be?"

As it turned out, the class had 5 people in it, counting the teacher. But, to my delight, there was a book I ciould take with me... and I had every incentive in the world to learn.

TRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTR

My next trip to Grandfather's shrine was one of the happiest days of my life. As usual, I found my flying lady 'laying' on a rock and gazing up at the sun. I walked up, barely able to contain myself and hold the book behind my back. As she noticed me, she flew up and waved. I just smiled back, still holding the book with both hands. Noticing my odd behavior, she looked at me curiously.

I could contain myself no longer. "Ta da!" The flying lady looked closely at the tome before her, but she still didn't seem to get it. "This is the language I'm going to learn in high school!" She smiled, though I could tell she was still confused, but she gave me a thumbs up. "Yes! Just like that!" Agape, she looked down at her hand and back up at me. "It's a language where you talk with your hands, instead of words!" As I frantically flipped through the diagrams to show her, her smile became brighter than I had ever seen it.

TRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTR

And so it was that I learned with and taught sign language to the flying lady. One day, after we had both mastered the alphabet at least, I signed her a question.

_So, what's your name?_ She excitedly signed her answer back to me. "Ryoko?" I said, mispronouncing it of course. She shook her head and signed it again, this time raising and lowering her hands to emphasize syllables. "Ryoko?" She smiled and nodded. "Ryoko... I like it! Nice to meet you!"

Then she signed something else at me, using the signs for words and not the alphabet. "Umm... sorry, lemme look that one up..." I knew the words 'I' and 'you', but what was the middle one? When I found it, and realized what she'd signed to me, my face became redder than a tomato.

_I love you_.

When I looked up at her, she was smiling like the cat who ate the canary. Then Ryoko flew behind me to continue practicing, as if nothing unusual had happened.

TRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTR

From then on my talks with Ryoko weren't one-sided anymore, though we still talked mostly about me. The few times I even got close to asking about her, she would always get very sad, so I tried not to. Her reaction to the legend of the demon in the shrine was enough to convince me that it was talking about her, although she always insisted that it 'wasn't quite right' and refused to talk about it. That didn't mean that I learned nothing about her, though. Even without asking, I quickly realized that she was lazy and somewhat irresponsible by nature (not that she _could_ do much of anything, anyway!) and she could be quite vain. But faults aside, she really was caring, and still my best friend.

I started to worry, though. I knew from experience that my parents couldn't see Ryoko. I wasn't sure about Grandfather, but then, he was always so mysterious that I couldn't ever tell when he was or wasn't hiding anything.

As I kept going through school, I learned more about mental health than ever before, and I started to worry. One day I decided that it was high time to confront this fear. I took a weekend trip up to the shrine, and went out to see Ryoko. My need was great that day, so I was uncharacteristically blunt that day. "Why can no one else see you?"

_Why does it matter? You can, and that's all that matters to me_. She was angry, I could tell. I figured that meant that she knew the reason, but didn't want to talk about it.

I smiled, but it was a bit forced. "The thing is, I'm concerned for myself. I just need to know that you're real, Ryoko, please. Even if you are... just in my head, I need some excuse for it so I can go on with this."

Ryoko looked at me very sadly. _It's not... easy for me to talk about..._

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." As I started to stand up and walk away, she quickly flew in front of me. "Yes?"

She smirked at me. _I didn't say I wouldn't tell you, Tenchi darling! Just that it wouldn't be easy!_

Then she told me her story. I learned two things that day. One, that I wasn't crazy (or that I was _really_ crazy, to make up that kind of story!). And two, that as nice as it is to have someone who is there for you and knows all of your dark secrets, it can also be nice to be that person for someone else.

Very nice.

TRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTR

My senior year of high school, I had something happen to me that never had before. I found it one Tuesday morning, in my shoe locker, just like you'd see in an anime. _Dear Masaki-san, I've been gathering my courage for some time now, to tell you how I feel. Please meet me at the old tree after school - Arisu_

I knew of a couple different girls named Arisu. Of those, only one was likely to send something like this, but... I didn't really think of her that way. I could practically hear my father arguing with Ryoko, one chibi on each shoulder. "Tenchi! She's a pretty girl! Go see her, even if it's just to let her down gently! Of course, you could make your father happy and go on a date for once!"

_Tenchi! Who cares about some girl you don't even know? And why should you date her when you have me to have picnics with, huh?_

"Which one of them is the angel, and which the devil, I wonder..." I mused to myself. In the end, angel or devil, I decided to listen to my chibi-father. After all, she deserved to at least be told.

TRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTR

As I walked to my Grandfathers shrine that weekend, I still couldn't figure out just how it had happened. Though I'd gone to that tree with every intention of letting Arisu down gently, it just hadn't worked. She had this odd way of saying things at exactly the wrong times, breaking in and forming her own conclusions. Somehow, I still wasn't sure exactly how, I had ended up as her date to the school dance.

Ryoko had some choice words to 'say' when I explained the situation. Or rather, she didn't have the words she wanted, as I had refused to teach her to sign curse words. _Who does that... who does she think she is? If you don't want to go, then don't. Simple as that!_ She was really angry for some reason. I mean, in hindsight its obvious why, but I didn't notice at the time.

"Well... I mean, wouldn't it be rude to ditch her now?"

_So? ...And just what do you do at these things, anyway?_

"Oh, you dance... I guess. I've never been to one."

She muttered something to herself (that I couldn't hear, of course) and sulked on a rock.

"It's just one weekend, Ryoko. I'll tell her afterwards that I'm not interested."

_You're not?_

"Of course not!"

_Then why are you going?_

I sighed. Productive conversation did not resume for some time.

TRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTR

The next Friday night found me at the cafeteria, turned dance hall. I won't bore you with the details of how Arisu tried to further ensnare me; they're boring. Besides, I wasn't really paying that much attention anyway. I kept thinking about Ryoko, feeling guilty for not being with her. As we danced, I imagined what it would be like to dance with Ryoko. As we shouted at each other over the deafening music, all I could think was that Ryoko knew sign language, and we could say things about people in secret, music or not. Then, during a slow song, came the last straw.

"Tenchi? Will you kiss me?" I was startled out of my musings. Arisu, of course, was the girl who had spoken.

"I... er, that is..." I looked at her, so expectant, and I didn't want to let her down... but at the same time, all I could think of was Ryoko. I'm not sure how long I just stood there, stammering, but it was long enough for Arisu to speak up again.

"Tenchi? Why won't you kiss me?"

What could I tell her? That she couldn't fly? That she didn't share a secret language with me? That she knew nothing about me, and there was someone who knew everything? Those were the reasons that came to my head. Then, in a flash, I realized why those reasons came to me.

"Thank you, Arisu!"

"Eh?"

"I understand now! Oh, and I'm sorry, but I have to go!"

Any reply she might have given was forever lost to the music; I was already gone.

TRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTRTR

I rushed as fast as I could to the shrine, late at night. I knew what I needed, and it was in here somewhere... but there was no way I could get it unless I was sneaky. Grandfather never let me past the locked gate into the cave, but I was so determined that I'd steal the key from him if I had to.

In I crept, as quiet as I could be. I made it all the way to Grandfather's desk, and even had the key in my hand, before I heard a voice behind me.

"So, you've finally decided to release her?" Of course, it was my Grandfather. How I hadn't seen him before then, I don't know. I decided that not speaking was probably wise; he would be angry. But to my surprise he wasn't.

"Are you sure, Tenchi? Such an act could bring tremendous responsibility."

From a deep place within me that I didn't know I had, I found courage. "I'm more sure of this than I have been of anything in my whole life. She means the world to me, Grandfather."

Grandfather smiled then, and my fears melted away. "Go to her, then. Take the sword you'll find; you will need its gems to free her."

"Thank you!"

I must have been a sight... rumpled formal wear tearing through the foliage, keyring jangling in my hand. After what felt more like hours than a few minutes, I arrived at the cave. In I strode with singular purpose. As I passed each lock, I felt more and more confident - but also more and more nervous.

Finally, I reached a pool, and somehow I knew in my heart that this was the place. "Ryoko!" I cried. "Ryoko! Where are you?"

In answer to my question, a dessicated hand (and arm) arose from the water. The rest of her followed, and for brief moments I wondered if perhaps I'd made a terrible mistake, and now the demon would eat me. But then, even as a rasping moan came from behind that mask, her hands creakily signed to me.

_Sorry about the body... couldn't go outside and keep it good..._

"That's okay, Ryoko." Without further words, I held up the Tenchi-ken. "These are yours, my love." The jewels in the hilt glowed brighter than I could stand to watch, and then one by one they flew toward the woman I now knew I loved. In a cascade of light, her body restored itself, and floating before me was the image I had come to love. The only difference now was that I couldn't see through her!

And, even more suddenly than they had appeared, the lights vanished, leaving Ryoko to collapse to the ground. "Ryoko!" I rushed to her, lifting her slightly from the ground.

Then she laughed, and it was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard, before or since. "Well, someone's a little eager." I flushed at her shameless teasing. "I'm all right, love. Just need a moment to get used to having a body again."

"Ryoko..." And right then, as I looked into her grateful eyes, I knew that I had made the right choice. "I love you."

She made as if to move toward me, but she was still tired and sore, and so only made it about an inch. "And I you, my Tenchi."

We ended up staying there all night, with me sleeping on the cave floor by her side.

And I haven't left her side since, nor she mine.


End file.
